Bishop Franco Mulakkal goes on trial in southern India for raping a nun

INDIA Bishop Mulakkal goes on trial for raping a nun: The prelate has repeatedly said that the charges against him are groundless and fabricated. The former bishop of Jalandhar risks imprisonment if found guilty. The court extended his bail until the next hearing on 6 January.

Staying Awake: Readings for the 1st Sunday of Advent

The Sacred Page: Staying Awake: Readings for 1st Sunday of AdventBERGSMA: Happy New Year, everyone! The Church Year begins this Sunday with the First Sunday of Advent, and we are back to reading cycle A in Church Year 2020. There is a very ancient tradition in the Church of reading the Book of Isaiah during Advent. In antiquity, both Jews and Christians considered the Book of Isaiah to be one extended prophesy of the “age to come,” the “latter days” when the Anointed One (Heb. “Meshiach,” =”Messiah”) would arrive. The First Readings for Sunday Mass and for weekday masses, as well as the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours, are dominated by Isaiah during this liturgical season.

Our strengths are often our struggles

Our Strengths Are Often Our Struggles - Community in MissionPOPE: One of the things that I have learned about myself and humans in general is that our strengths are very closely related to our struggles. Some people are passionate. This makes them dedicated and driven to make a difference, but it also makes them vulnerable to anger or depression. Their passion in one area (e.g., truth, justice) can cause difficulties with passions in other areas such as sexuality, food, or drink. Passionate people can inspire others and are often great leaders, but they also run the risk of crashing and burning, whether emotionally or morally.

Fire from above and the Son of Man

Beginning to Pray: Fire from Above and the Son of ManLILLES: In Daniel 7:2-14, though overwhelming forces blow and surge through the world, the radiant King of the Universe is enthroned above the fray, undeterred by the winds and waves of the age. This is the Holy Trinity - the surging of an uncreated love from which everything good and noble proceeds. People of faith are not limited by a vision that only sees the passing intrigues of injustice. Their eyes are lifted up to the One who is their help. He is the great artist whose primal art cannot be defaced even when threatened by gross injustice. The Almighty God has created a world so beautiful that it can make the heart ache with a fullness of meaning - for those who glimpse this glory, joy and sorrow crescendo into a grateful stillness. That benevolent silence is enclosed in the mystery of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Only within this primordial cloister, only in this secret garden accessed by faith, only in this hidden mountain that obedience to God can find, in this place, the truth about the world is unveiled.

Pope Francis: So-called “right to die” is “without any legal basis”

VATICAN Pope: "right to die" is without any legal basis: Pope Francis on Friday met members of the Centro Studio Rosario Livatino, named after an Italian judge murdered by the mafia in 1990. In his address, the pontiff reiterated his opposition to euthanasia, saying that the notion of the "right to die" upheld in some courts is “without any legal basis”.

Citing Pope John Paul II, he said that “On May 9, 1993, [. . .] mi predecessor, shortly before addressing to the "men of the mafia" the memorable and peremptory invitation to conversion in the Valley of the Temples, in Agrigento,” met with Livatino’s parents calling him "martyr to justice and, indirectly, to faith”.

“Livatino – for whom the diocesan process of beatification was successfully concluded – continues to be an example, above all for those who carry out the demanding and complicated work of the magistrate. When Rosario was killed, almost no one knew him. He worked in a suburban court: he dealt with the seizure and confiscation of property of illegal origin acquired by the mafia. He did so in an unassailable manner, respecting the guarantees of the accused, with great professionalism and with concrete results: for this reason the mafia decided to eliminate him.

Black Friday and stuffed turkeys

Black Friday and Stuffed Turkeys – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: Scenes of hungry angry shoppers fighting over big screen TVs are likely to show up today as Black Friday hits us once again.

Weird that it is the day after Thanksgiving. Almost like we didn’t have enough to be thankful for so we rush out to get more stuff.

We’re stuffed turkeys. Gobble. Gobble.

It’s easy to see the greed and blame our materialistic culture without seeing the deeper threat.

Every argument is a theological argument, and the vulgarity and futility of Black Friday reveals a philosophical-theological crisis at the heart of our culture.

It’s called “Materialism”. It’s easy enough to see the consumerism of Black Friday and say this is materialism but the behaviors are a symptom, not the disease.

An Englishman gives thanks for Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks for ThanksgivingPEARCE: There are some things that take some getting used to for an Englishman living in the United States. It is odd, for instance, that Good Friday is not a public holiday in this country. In England, for all its hedonistic secularism, the day of Our Lord’s Crucifixion is still a day of rest, as is Easter Monday, the day that follows the Feast of the Resurrection. This annual four-day holiday makes Easter special, even for those who have forgotten that these are holidays because they are Holy Days. Similarly, it is odd that many Americans seem to think that Christmas is over at midnight on Dec. 25. Although I have now lived here for 14 years, I can’t help thinking it peculiar when I see Christmas trees being discarded on the day after Our Lord’s nativity. Whatever happened to the Twelve Days of Christmas?

Reading to my son led me to The Meditations of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Reading to my son led me to The Meditations of Saint Thomas Aquinas – TOM PERNAPERNA: The title of this blog post is a bit misleading since I have been aware of and reading St. Thomas Aquinas for nearly 25 years. He is the primary saint that led me into Theology, along with Pope St. John Paul II. I have always read Thomas over the years since first reading him in my undergrad studies. The other reason I like Thomas is that he is a Dominican, the Order of Preachers. I have always been drawn to the Dominican Order, most especially in the last decade after teaching with the Sisters of Mary in two different Catholic high schools.

Tuesday’s security scare in Washington revealed a secret missile battery near the White House

Yesterday's Washington D.C. Air Alert Revealed a Secret Missile Battery: A mysterious radar return prompted yesterday that an unauthorized aircraft was flying over the restricted airspace of Washington D.C. A search of the area reportedly turned up nothing, but one reporter located in the city did notice something: a surface to air missile system across the street from the White House.

At approximately 8:30am local time, a “track of interest” on a radar at the Capitol Police command center was detected over Washington D.C. The track was described as a “slow moving blob.”

Washington’s skies are heavily regulated, the result of the 9/11 attacks in order to protect the White House, Capitol building, and other government locations. North American Air Defense Command, or NORAD, sent a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter to investigate. The helicopter, call sign “Blackjack,” did not notice anything unusual but note it nearly ran into a flock of birds at 1,300 feet.

The Angelic Warfare Confraternity — protecting ourselves from the deluge of immoral material

The Angelic Warfare Confraternity Protecting Ourselves From The Modern Deluge Of Immoral Material The Wanderer NewspaperFOLEY: One of the biggest problems now confronting Catholics — men and boys in particular, but also women and girls to a lesser extent — is the explosion in the availability of pornography. It’s not so long ago that if someone wanted to view pornography they had to go to some effort, be it buying magazines, or videos, or whatever. But now, pornography of all sorts is openly available on the Internet and only a mouse click away.
Apart from that, quite often material which if not fully pornographic is at least salacious or indecent can be seen on TV, and more so in movies; and there is also the matter of billboards and advertising generally, as well as the increasing tendency for immodest dress in society as a whole.
Pornography is by its very nature insidious — and due to the effects of our own sinful inclinations, it is extremely easy for someone to become addicted to viewing it, with disastrous spiritual and practical results. And even if a person doesn’t want to look at this type of material, it is very difficult to avoid its effects as it becomes ever more prominent in society.

Puddleglum, atheists and Thanksgiving Day

Puddleglum, Atheists and Thanksgiving Day – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: Is there a link between atheism, Thanksgiving Day and Puddleglum, the Marshwiggle from Narnia?

I wonder on this Thanksgiving Day, therefore, what the atheist does. I admit that he may nurture a simple attitude of gratitude for the good things in his life, but does he stop to ask why he should feel grateful in the first place?

Stop and think. Why celebrate Thanksgiving if there is no one to thank?

One of the simplest bits of evidence for the existence of God is the human instinct to give thanks.

What is this strange impulse in the human heart to thank someone?

Thanksgiving Day 2019 — “In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus”

November 28 2019 - Thanksgiving Day: And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will!

True thanksgiving isn’t just something we do — it’s something that happens to us

True Thanksgiving Isn't Just Something We Do; It's Something That Happens to Us - Community in MissionPOPE: One of the dangers in presenting New Testament moral teaching is reducing the gospel to a bunch of rules to follow using the power of one’s own flesh. This is an incorrect notion because for a Christian the moral life is not merely achieved; it is received. The moral life is not an imposition; it is a gift from God.

The Gospel chosen for Thanksgiving Day features the familiar story of the ten lepers who are healed by Jesus, but only one of whom returns to thank Him. The ingratitude of the other nine prompts an irritable response from Jesus, who more than suggests that they also should have returned to give thanks. Reading this Gospel on the surface, it is easy to conclude that it is a moral directive about being thankful to God and others. Well, that’s all well and good, but simply reminding people of a rule of polite society isn’t really the gospel message.

Thankful for when children were young

Thankful for When Children Were Young | Bacon From AcornsCUDDEBACK: I have to admit it: it’s been hard for me recently as I think back on when my children were younger.

A few days ago my wife and I, and our eight year old son—who is seven years younger than the youngest of the five children above him—were finally cleaning out the basement. This necessarily included going through our huge stash of toys. I’m a little embarrassed to say that many play-things for all ages have accumulated there through the years. It was a tour through the stages of our children’s lives.

Each set of toys—‘little people,’ tinker toys, Lincoln logs—or figurine or doll or sword brought back images of the children, with all the passion and vigor of their childhood. Some things we set aside and kept, but most we discarded. Long use has taken its toll, and the time has come.

With Fred Rogers, it was personal

With Fred Rogers, it was personal – SIMCHA FISHERFISHER: When I was an adolescent, our girl’s group made a large batch of cards for the residents of a nursing home. “YOU ARE LOVED,” we spelled out over and over again, switching to scented markers when we got bored. We added a few stickers, then we threw all the cards in a bag to be delivered, and we got back to our real lives.

I felt obscurely ashamed and angry at the disingenuousness of this exercise, thinking how little it would mean to some ailing old woman to get a card from a girl she never met. Or, I thought, maybe it would mean a lot, and that would be even worse. “You [whoever you are] ought to feel loved [passive voice] by someone who couldn’t even be bothered to sign her name, because she has field hockey now [smiling sun sticker].” How worthless. Worse than no card at all.

What Catholics have to be thankful for

What Catholics have to be thankful for | Angelus NewsLOPEZ: I never thought the sight of a bishop praying would be so moving to me. But there I was, in tears at the makeshift Blessed Sacrament Chapel inside the Waterfront Marriott in Baltimore during the November meeting of U.S. bishops, as I saw the archbishop of a prominent and important American diocese on his knees, praying.

I was inspired and reinvigorated in hope and zeal for the urgency of prayer. He wasn’t just doing his duty — many bishops stop in throughout the day to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. That’s not to say they aren’t really praying. I certainly pray that their hearts are in it, that their devotion to God is renewed with every prayer.

Detroit priest faces lawsuit over suicide funeral homily

Detroit Priest Faces Lawsuit Over Funeral Homily for Victim of Suicide: A priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit is facing a lawsuit filed by the parents of a teenager who committed suicide last year.

The parents say Father Don LaCuesta homily at their son’s funeral Mass —during which the priest said multiple times that their son died by suicide, and urged prayers for his soul— caused them “irreparable harm and pain.”

Eighteen-year-old Maison Hullibarger committed suicide Dec. 4, 2018.

On Dec. 8, 2018, Father LaCuesta celebrated Hullibarger’s funeral Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Temperance, Michigan.

The Queen and the Pope on the plane

The Queen and the Pope on the Plane – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: The Holy Father has followed his now established tradition of holding a press conference on the airplane on the way home from an international visit. Once again I have read the transcript and am astonished at how little the world’s greatest religious leader speaks about religion. Even more disturbing is how little the world’s most visible and vocal Christian leader ever speaks about Jesus Christ, and even more disappointing is how little the leader of the world’s Catholics speaks about anything specifically Catholic.

Lesbian judge targets Michigan Catholic priest for trying to get her to Heaven

Politicizing Catholic Communion | The American ConservativeDREHER: If you take the liberal side of the dispute, a Catholic Church in Grand Rapids is the scene of a hate crime. If you take the orthodox side, then a Catholic priest has done his duty by a parishioner’s soul, and the teaching of the Church about the Eucharist. Here’s a local news report. Judge Sara Smolenski, chief judge of the Kent County District Court, has been denied Communion at the church where she has been a parishioner for more than six decades because she is married to a woman...

In Heaven’s light, you’ll see your worst suffering on Earth as “no more serious than a night at a bad hotel”

Catholic Marriage Prep - Not the Destination... - Thanksgiving and SufferingNOWAK: Whenever I hear or read this quote, I am reminded of one of the most “inconvenient” nights of suffering I had in a hotel many years ago. My husband and I were living in Italy at the time, and we were driving home from a vacation to the north of Italy. We decided to stop for the night at a place that sounded nice: “The Romantic Hotel.” The night was anything but romantic. The Italians didn’t put screens on their windows, there was no air conditioning, it was summertime, and the mosquitoes were hungry. It was a night from hell. But we were tired, so we took refuge under the sheets and tried to sleep.

Disgraced Bransfield should apologize and pay $792,000 restitution, says Wheeling-Charleston bishop

WV MetroNews Diocese: Bransfield should apologize and pay $792,000 restitution - WV MetroNews: Disgraced Bishop Michael Bransfield would make public apologies and pay $792,638 restitution if he accepts a proposed “plan of amends” from the Wheeling-Catholic Diocese.


File

Rev. Mark Brennan
Wheeling-Charleston Bishop Mark Brennan on Tuesday outlined the penance for Bishop Michael Bransfield, whose sexual and financial activities continue to receive scrutiny.


During Brennan’s public remarks about the proposal, he suggested Bransfield should feel moved to make amends himself.

The reformed liturgy, 50 years later

The Reformed Liturgy, 50 Years Later | George Weigel | First ThingsWEIGEL: Fifty years ago, on November 30, 1969, the Catholic Church marked the First Sunday of Advent with the universal implementation of the revised Roman Rite of the Mass, approved by Pope Paul VI in response to the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

And the liturgy wars broke out in earnest.

They have not abated since. If anything, they’ve intensified in recent years.

As these debates continue, it will be helpful to remember that the Liturgical Movement of the mid-20th century, which led to “the changes” approved by Pope Pius XII before it led to “the changes” approved by Pope Paul VI, believed that the renewal of the Church’s worship would foster both sanctity and mission, including the Church’s social witness.

Daniel’s vision of the Eternal King should encourage us all

Daniel’s Vision of the Eternal King Should Encourage Us All - Community in MissionPOPE: The first reading from Tuesday of the 34th week of the year seems, to modern readers, to be a complex tapestry of visions. I could see a bit of bewilderment on the faces of those listening at the early Mass. Ultimately, though, the message is simple and clear: nations and empires come and go, but the Lord and His Kingdom shall never pass away.

I propose here not an academic treatment of the passage (Daniel 2:31-45) but more a brief admonition. In the reading, Daniel interprets a dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in which he saw a fearsome statue composed of four different materials; the statue is ultimately destroyed by a large rock. Daniel interprets the four materials as four kingdoms that rise and fall. The rock is a king (Jesus) with an eternal kingdom that overcomes all. Modern scholars generally interpret the four kingdoms as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Is it time for the Vatican to rethink its line on a “Two-State Solution?”

Is it time for the Vatican to rethink its line on a 'Two-State Solution'?ALLEN: Normally speaking, when a pope hits the road, all other Vatican operations enter a state of suspended animation. Appointments, documents and statements are held up awaiting his return, because nobody’s supposed to distract from the message he’s traveling to deliver.

The fact the Vatican made an exception during Pope Francis’s Nov. 19-26 trip to Thailand and Japan demonstrates precisely how high they think the stakes are.

Bail finally granted for rest of ‘Kandhamal Seven’ — Indian Christians jailed on flimsy murder charges for more than a decade

Bail finally granted for rest of 'Kandhamal seven'- ucanews.org: Church leaders and activists in India have praised India’s Supreme Court for finally granting bail to five Christians kept in jail for more than a decade for allegedly killing a Hindu spiritual guru in the eastern state of Odisha.
The court issued its landmark decision on Nov. 26, freeing the five men who were charged with murder in 2008 and had been in Phulbani district jail ever since. The two other male defendants secured bail at the beginning of the year.
“As we say and believe in Satyameva Jayate, truth alone triumphs,” said Father Dibakar Parichha, a lawyer priest who, along with legal groups across India, has been fighting on behalf the accused down the years.

Pope Francis talks Vatican financial scandal aboard papal plane

Pope Francis Talks Vatican Financial Scandal Aboard Papal Plane: Although investigators are looking into a controversial Vatican investment in a luxury London property development, whether the deal was corrupt is still an open question, Pope Francis said Tuesday.

Answering questions aboard the papal plane from Tokyo to Rome Nov. 26, the pope said that investing funds from Peter’s Pence is an acceptable form of financial management if the investments are solid.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie QB Devlin “Duck” Hodges (whose mom works for the NCRegister) is thankful for his conversion to Catholicism

Pittsburgh Steelers’ Rookie QB Thankful for Conversion to CatholicismBEATTIE: The NFL has experienced its share of starting quarterback departures this season, and Devlin Hodges has seen the results of this situation up close.

Hodges, an undrafted rookie from Samford University in Alabama, relieved starter Mason Rudolph in the Steelers’ last game against the Cincinnati Bengals and led them to a 16-10 victory. Coach Mike Tomlin today named Hodges to start Sunday as the Steelers (6-5) take on the Cleveland Browns (5-6).

Earlier this season, Hodges was called upon to start for the Steelers against the Los Angeles Chargers in October when both the Steelers’ longtime starter, Ben Roethlisberger, and his backup, Rudolph, were injured.

A guide through “hevel”: The Teacher of Ecclesiastes

A Guide Through Hevel: The Teacher of Ecclesiastes ~ The Imaginative Conservative: Ecclesiastes is quite possibly the most controversial book in the Bible for all the wrong reasons. Many Christians avoid Ecclesiastes because of its overwhelming bleakness. Others prefer Job to Ecclesiastes’ nihilistic overtones and recurring cynicism. In fact, as some pastors observe, Ecclesiastes “is so denigrated by some Christians, that they have wondered why it is in the Bible at all.”[1] Such apprehension unfortunately isolates many from one of the greatest works ever written.

Disneyland, desire and destiny

Disneyland, Desire and Destiny – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: In re-reading C.S.Lewis’ wonderful  sermon The Weight of Glory he begins with comments on the nature of desire.

Christianity is known by those outside for it prohibitions. It seems to be a religion of “Thou shalt not.”

Lewis reminds us that desire is good because it is a desire for the good. Even when the desire is distorted into something horrible and fearsome, still beneath it all is a desire for a good.

Why God continues to have a place at the Thanksgiving Day table

Why God continues to have a place at the Thanksgiving Day tableLISI: As millions of Americans sit down on Thursday to a turkey dinner with all their favorite sides, many will pause to say a prayer or otherwise give thanks. The one central theme to the holiday that endures to this day is the idea of giving God thanks. It’s the reason why the Pilgrims held a feast in the first place a year after making landfall in what is now Plymouth, Mass.

Even as a growing number of young people identify with no religion, Americans are still largely thankful to God. While the day is marked with football games and parades, it’s also true that Thanksgiving, one of the least commercial holiday’s celebrated in America, has a religious origin that has been debated ever since the Pilgrims marked the original Thanksgiving dinner in 1621 following their first harvest.

Wind down, already! Spend more time communicating with God...

Spend Time Daily Communicating with God | National ReviewLOPEZ: Discouragement is a form of pride; sadness is often caused by our egotism.” That sort of leapt off the page as I was doing a little late reading of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen recently, to mark the news that before the year is through, he will have made a big step toward being an official saint of the Catholic Church. The sentence was the linguistic equivalent of a five-alarm fire, to be perfectly honest, not just for the culture but for my life.

In the blast zone: “No” to nukes, “Hai” to the faith “in dialect”

Whispers in the Loggia: In the Blast Zone: "No" To Nukes... "Hai" To "The Faith 'In Dialect'"PALMO: Over Francis' nearly eight years on Peter's Chair, a critical emphasis of his pontificate on the wider scale has been a concerted effort to burnish the Holy See's "soft power" – the degree to which the church's geopolitical emphases are heeded on the world stage not through economic nor military might, but as a moral arbiter with a credibility able to convene all sides.

Of course, the push has notched some remarkable achievements, above all in facilitating the US' Obama-era opening to Cuba, and playing a key role in securing the global consensus that brought the 2015 approval of the Paris climate accords. Specifics aside, though, what the marked increase in papal advocacy has wrought is that, to a degree last seen at the zenith of John Paul II after the fall of Communism, when The Man in White speaks, the world's leaders pay attention.

What is deliverance?

What Is Deliverance? - Community in MissionPOPE: At yesterday’s feast of Christ the King, we read the Colossians hymn in which St. Paul spoke of Christ’s power to deliver us:

Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col 1:12–14).

So, what is deliverance? It is what happened to you when Christ took you out of the kingdom of darkness and transferred you to the Kingdom of Light, to the Kingdom of His beloved Son.

Pope Francis meets Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo

Pope Francis meets the Japanese Emperor, who, like the pope, came after an unexpected resignation: Pope Francis met Monday with Emperor Naruhito of Japan. It was the first meeting of the two less than two weeks since Naruhito completed the rituals that made him the newest emperor in the world’s oldest continuous hereditary throne.

Pope Francis is on his first visit to Japan, a country he's desired to experience since he was in seminary. The trip lasts from Nov. 23-26.

The relationship between the Holy See and Imperial Household has been a strange one, but the papacy has a surprising amount in common with the Japanese imperial throne. And Pope Francis and Emperor Naruhito share similar stories about their rise to positions of leadership.

Tuscan convent shut after nun falls in love with local man and is told to leave

Tuscan convent shut after nun falls in love with local man and is told to leave: A picturesque 17th-century convent in the Tuscan hills has had to shut its doors only four years after reopening, due to an impossible “love story”.

The Convent of the Cappuccini Fathers in Sansepolcro, which has been run by Benedictine nuns since 2015 – has been closed “definitively”, its website says, despite the ongoing projects recently unveiled by Sister Maria Teresa, the dynamic mother superior.

The reason for the sudden closure is reported to be because a 40-year-old nun fell in love with a local man, and was obliged to leave the convent.

Gender-neutral Barbie and the progressives who attack her

Gender-Neutral Barbie and the Progressives Who Attack Her | The American Conservative: The holiday season is almost upon us and many people are thinking about gifts to buy for their loved ones. With this in mind, it’s important that we spare a thought for the eco-conscious feminist activists among us. They often struggle at this time of year. Fortunately, there is an abundance of advice on offer to help us all negotiate the pitfalls of the season.

Pope Francis in Hiroshima prays for peace: “Never again war”

Pope Francis in Hiroshima Prays for Peace: ‘Never Again War’: Pope Francis prayed for peace Sunday at the site of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, where he called for an end to war and the threat of nuclear weapons.

“How can we propose peace if we constantly invoke the threat of nuclear war as a legitimate recourse for the resolution of conflicts?” Pope Francis said Nov. 24 in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park.

“May the abyss of pain endured here remind us of boundaries that must never be crossed. A true peace can only be an unarmed peace,” the Pope said.

On Aug. 6, 1945, American armed forces dropped an uranium atomic bomb dubbed “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, killing an estimated 80,000 people instantly.

In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pope Francis bids to be “norm entrepreneur”

In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pope Francis bids to be “norm entrepreneur”ALLEN: Today in Japan, which began last night in the States, brought the expected highlights of Pope Francis’s Nov. 20-26 trip to Thailand and Japan in visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two Japanese cites incinerated by U.S. atomic weapons during the Second World War.

“One of the deepest longings of the human heart is for security, peace and stability,” Francis said on Sunday, speaking in the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hypocenter park during driving rain.

“The possession of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is not the answer to this desire; indeed they seem always to thwart it,” he said.

King of Thieves and King of the Universe – A Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King

King of Thieves and King of the Universe – A Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King - Community in MissionPOPE: Jesus Christ is King of Thieves, though He never stole. He is savior of sinners, though He never sinned.

Today’s Gospel chosen presents Jesus as reigning from the cross. Nothing could be more paradoxical. Let’s look at it from four perspectives:

First, vision. Today’s Gospel presents a vision or image of the Church.We like to think of more pleasant images: the Church is the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ. Today’s image is more humbling to be sure: the Church is Christ, crucified between two thieves.

12 types of steak, examined and cooked

New Advent: 12 types of steak, examined and cooked: Amiel Stanek is here to break down the features of 12 types of steak based on cut, cattle breed, diet and age and how long the meat was aged. Whether it's the always popular Angus T-bone or the Piedmontese porterhouse, each steak has its own unique attributes and quality is truly in the eye of the beholder.

This is what lay leadership in the Church is supposed to look like...

Taking the Role of All the Baptized in Church Leadership Seriously | Church Life Journal | University of Notre DameCAVADINI: What is leadership in the Church? There is, of course, the leadership that comes with the sacrament of Holy Orders, which includes the gifts of sacramental celebration, apostolic teaching, and governance in the manner of Christ the Good Shepherd, filled with pastoral charity. This remains in place and is undisputed. Is that the full extent of leadership in the Church? Is “leadership” just another way of talking about the hierarchy and nothing else? Is “leadership” merely synonymous with the gifts of governance and authoritative teaching that are indisputably intrinsic to the episcopal order?

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’: Tom Hanks is Mr. Rogers

SDG Reviews ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’: Tom Hanks Is Mr. RogersGREYDANUS: What do you do with the mad that you feel?

As adults, we don’t hear Mr. Rogers’ question being directed to us, because he put it in a rhyming song simple enough for the youngest of his viewers, whom he tirelessly coached on understanding and managing their feelings in constructive ways.

This is something children need to learn to do and which adults ought to know how to do. But do we? Do we do it? Do we know how?

Pope Francis lands in Japan, where he once hoped to be a missionary

Pope Francis lands in Japan, where he once hoped to be a missionary: In a meeting with bishops in Tokyo Saturday, Pope Francis recalled his former desire to be a missionary to Japan, praising those who carried the faith there before him.

“I don’t know if you are aware of this, but ever since I was young I have felt a fondness and affection for these lands,” Francis told the Japanese bishops in the apostolic nunciature in Tokyo Nov. 23.

As a young Jesuit, Pope Francis wanted to be sent to Japan to be a missionary, inspired by the example of St. Francis Xavier, but he was prevented from going because of his health.

Pennsylvania politicians divided over aborting the disabled

Pennsylvania Politicians Divided Over Aborting the Disabled | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: In the past few days, it has been reported that the Pennsylvania House and Senate have both approved a bill to make abortion due to a Down Syndrome diagnosis illegal. However, the Governor, Tom Wolf vetoed the bill rather quickly. Thus, in Pennsylvania, you can still abort due to disability. I want to give the news then offer some analysis

The end is here! The Feast of Christ the King...

The Sacred Page: The End is Here! Feast of Christ the KingBERGSMA: Here in Steubenville one of my co-workers has a clever bumper sticker that reads: “I’m a Monarchist. And I Vote.”

The day after the surprising election of 2016, then-President Obama took the high road by reminding us, “We’re not Democrats first, we're not Republicans first, we are Americans first. We're patriots first.” In the political sphere, that’s true. But there is a first that comes before that first. We are Christians first, ‘monarchists’ who are loyal to Jesus Christ the King. And better Americans for being so.

The Church year comes to an end this Sunday with the Solemnity of Christ the King, one of my favorite feast days. The Readings focus heavily on the theme of the kingdom of Christ, which was typified or foreshadowed by the Kingdom of David in the Old Testament.

Missing Bishop Zanchetta not in ‘rebellion’ over court proceedings, spokesman claims; whereabouts remain unknown

Missing Zanchetta not in 'rebellion' over court proceedings, spokesman claims: Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta has denied that he is avoiding a return to Argentina, where he is being prosecuted for “aggravated continuous sexual assault” and fraud. The bishop's whereabouts remain unknown.

In a statement to members of the press released on Thursday, a spokesman for Zanchetta said the bishop was not in “rebellion” over a Nov. 20 request by prosecutors for his arrest, after the bishop allegedly failed to cooperate in his own ongoing trial.

Halving the shepherd: What our clergy can learn from St. Martin of Tours

Halving the Shepherd What Our Clergy Can Learn From St. Martin of ToursWELLS: On the morning of the Feast Day of St. Martin of Tours, I passed through wide revolving doors and into opulence; a high-rise waterfront hotel in an elegant part of shot-and-beer Baltimore. The location was the meeting point for coffee with a friend; I’m of the Motel 6 set, an heirloom of frugality passed down from my father. I immediately saw a priest talking to a friend in the chic lobby; then a few other priests came into view. Then there was a bishop.

Mister Rogers “lived a life of prayer, and he wanted us — he wanted me — to pray”

Mister Rogers’s Enduring Wisdom - The Atlantic: Along time ago, a man of resourceful and relentless kindness saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He trusted me when I thought I was untrustworthy, and took an interest in me that went beyond my initial interest in him. He was the first person I ever wrote about who became my friend, and our friendship endured until he died. Now a movie has been made from the story I wrote about him, which is to say “inspired by” the story I wrote about him, which is to say that in the movie my name is Lloyd Vogel and I get into a fistfight with my father at my sister’s wedding.

Vatican loses access to international financial watchdog information

Vatican Loses Access to International Financial Watchdog Information: An international network of financial watchdogs has suspended the Vatican’s access to its information, dealing a major blow to the Vatican’s financial credibility under Pope Francis.

The Egmont Group, a Toronto-based network of more than 160 national financial intelligence units around the world, has decided to suspend the Vatican watchdog from access to its secure web system, through which members share information about money laundering, financing of terrorism, tax fraud and other financial crimes, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Vatican declined to comment on the Egmont Group’s move.

Husband washes wife’s feet at wedding reception instead of tossing garter

Husband Washes Wife's Feet at Wedding Reception Instead of Tossing Garter: "You Deserve to Be Cherished" |: Catholic speaker, podcaster, and television personality Stacey Sumereau shared an experience she had with her husband at her wedding reception – and the post went completely viral!

This week: the unfolding Vatican financial scandal

This week: the unfolding Vatican financial scandal | Catholic CultureLAWLER: The top CWN headline for this week should have been the Pope’s trip to Asia, where he stopped first in Thailand, encouraging the Catholic minority to evangelize and denouncing the sordid traffic in drugs and human flesh.

Unfortunately that wasn’t our top story. Yet again, the top story—and for that matter the #2 story—involved corruption at the Vatican.

The week began with the news that Rene Bruelhart was leaving his post as the president of the Financial Information Authority (AIF). Bruelhart, a financial expert with impeccable credentials, had been brought aboard in 2012, charged with restoring international confidence in the Vatican’s financial affairs. Bruelhart told reporters that he had resigned. Other Vatican officials said that he had completed his term—an odd explanation, since he had not been appointed for any set term.

Catholic churches are getting emptier: Two shocking surveys in the United States and Italy

Churches Ever Emptier. Two Shocking Surveys in the United States and Italy - Settimo Cielo - Blog - L’EspressoMAGISTER: In Japan, where Pope Francis will land tomorrow, those baptized into the Catholic Church are just 0.4 percent of the population. Without any sign of numerical growth.

But also in two Western countries with a solid Catholic presence the statistics are heading decisively lower. These two countries are the United States and Italy. In the United States there is a noteworthy survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center, to which on November 13 “L’Osservatore Romano” also dedicated an article:

Some correctives to Mary McAleese’s Trinity College remarks

Some correctives to Mary McAleese’s Trinity College remarks | In the Light of the LawEDPETERS: Dr. Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland and recently minted doctor of canon law (Gregorian, 2018), delivered a speech at Trinity College in Dublin a few weeks back accusing the Catholic Church, per canon law, of ‘at best limiting and at worst eliminating [children’s] fundamental rights to freedom of religion, thought, and conscience.’ McAleese’s theme was apparently developed in her doctoral dissertation, a work reportedly weighing in at 500,000 words for which she won the 2019 Alfons Auer Theology Award valued at € 25,000. It would be interesting to know what the competition for the prize was.

Much of McAleese’s speech deals with matters outside my area (e.g., Irish law, Brexit, and so on), but her comments on canon law, to the extent they supposedly support her criticisms of the Church, especially the inflammatory claim that canon law “flatly contradicts” a child’s “freedom of belief, thought, expression and action”, warrant some reply.

Elizabeth Warren says pro-life Democrats should be safe, legal — and rare

Elizabeth Warren: Pro-Life Dems Should Be Safe, Legal — And RareBROWN: The question of whether or not there is room in the Democratic party for candidates with a pro-life stance came up during the fifth Democratic presidential debate Wednesday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., failed to directly answer the question, saying she was “not here to drive anyone out of this party” but also arguing that “protecting the right of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body is fundamentally what we do and what we stand for as a Democratic Party.”

The silence of the Church deafens the world

The Silence of the Church Deafens the WorldPOPE: The books of First and Second Maccabees, which we read every year at this time in the Divine Office, are especially pertinent for us today, when religious syncretism and outright idolatry are allowed to go uncorrected if not openly celebrated.

The Maccabees books are set in the period of about 200 years before Christ. The Jews living in Judea at that time were strongly influenced by the Hellenization that Alexander the Great initiated. Some, especially those of the urban upper class, were keen to dispense with Jewish law and adopt a Greek lifestyle. In their minds this would advance them and the Jewish people in economic and political matters. They hid the marks of circumcision, repudiated the holy covenant and sought to convert Jerusalem into a Greek polis, even renaming it Antioch. An evil high priest, Jason, connived with the Greek King Antiochus to overthrow and eliminate the Jewish faith, replacing it with pagan worship and customs.

John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis: Where are they now?

John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis: Where Are They Now?PEARCE: At 5:30 p.m. (U.K. time) on Nov. 22, 1963, C. S. Lewis collapsed in his home in Oxford after a long illness and died a few minutes later. At the same time, across the Atlantic, John F. Kennedy was landing at Dallas airport after the short flight from Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth. Within an hour the fatal shots were fired that ended the President’s life. Not surprisingly, the assassination of the American President eclipsed the news of the death of the British writer, the latter’s death going almost unnoticed, buried in the small print beneath the JFK-dominated headlines. Today, 50 years on, it is interesting to ponder how the reputations of the two men have fared. How have they weathered the inexorable passage of time?

Pope Francis in Thailand: ‘Friendship with Jesus lights your path’

Pope Francis in Thailand: Friendship With Jesus Lights Your Path: Pope Francis told young people in Thailand Friday that the secret to happiness is to be deeply rooted in faith in Jesus Christ.

“The secret to a happy heart is the security we find when we are anchored, rooted in Jesus: in his life, in his words, in his death and resurrection,” Pope Francis said Nov. 22 in his homily at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Bangkok.

“Friendship cultivated with Jesus is the oil needed to light up your path in life and the path of all those around you,” he said.

The Pope celebrated Mass for an estimated 10,000 young people in and outside of Bangkok’s Cathedral of the Assumption. The cathedral dates back more than 200 years to an initiative by French missionaries.

7 reasons for hope after David Daleiden’s recent loss

7 Reasons for Hope After David Daleiden’s Recent LossARMSTRONG: The $2.2 million jury verdict against David Daleiden and co-defendant Sandra Merritt on Nov. 15 for exposing Planned Parenthood is disheartening. Planned Parenthood sued in San Francisco’s U.S. District Court for trespassing and other alleged illegal investigative methods for the 2015 video recordings of officials bragging about trafficking in baby parts.

Daleiden and Merritt attended abortion industry conferences posing as exhibitors where they secretly recorded conversations. Daleiden also recorded at Planned Parenthood-affiliated clinics in Texas and Colorado. His attorneys with the Thomas More Society contended that they were citizen journalists investigating “violent felonies,” believing that infants were being born alive and their tissue trafficked for profit.

“Gotta Serve Somebody” — Kanye West and Bob Dylan

“Gotta Serve Somebody” — Kanye West and Bob DylanTURLEY: The internet was buzzing last month with the sound of conversion.

Kanye West had declared himself a Christian. News reports told how the 42-year-old rapper had definitively nailed his colors to the mast — or more correctly, to the Cross. And to emphasize the point, last month he released an album entitled: Jesus Is King.

It all sounds very familiar. In fact, it is similar to another conversion 40 years ago from within the world of popular music that also made headlines. On that occasion the name being mentioned was that of Bob Dylan.

Democrat John Bel Edwards wins again in Louisiana — but some journalists totally ignored his anti-abortion stance

Gov. Edwards wins again in Louisiana, for some vague reason (And Trump? 'Bless his heart') — GetReligionMATTINGLY: There was a joyful moment the other night — as in special election night — for people who oppose both Donald Trump and the current leadership of the woke Democratic Party.

I am referring to the victory of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, who survived a hard push by Trump to defeat him. Democrats rarely get elected as governors in Southern states these days.

The question, of course, is this: How did Edwards do it? What made him electable in the current political atmosphere? I would have thought it was important to answer that question in the overture of the following Washington Post report

Myths about the Crusades that too many people believe (maybe even you!)

Myths About the Crusades That Too Many People Believe (Maybe Even You!) |: In this episode of The Catholic Talk Show, Ryan Scheel, Fr. Rich Pagano, and Ryan DellaCrosse discuss with Historian Steve Weidenkopf myths about the crusades that too many people believe.

Fr. Dominic Valanmanal, please stop attacking autistics

Fr. Dominic Valanmanal, Please Stop Attacking Autistics UPDATED | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: Fr. Dominic Valanmanal is at it again. This priest compared us autistics to animals and blamed our existence on our parents’ sins. This priest is back at it offering counseling to families with autistics in them. This is problematic as he clearly misunderstands autism.

I already covered why sin does not cause autism in relation to Fr. Valanmanal, so I won’t repeat that. I will instead note his recent actions, his non-apology, and what you can do.

Why did the Wall fall, 30 years ago?

Why did the Wall fall, 30 years ago? - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: November 9 marked the 30th anniversary of the peaceful breach of the Berlin Wall — the symbolic high point of the Revolution of 1989, which would be completed seven weeks later by the fall of the Czechoslovak communist regime and Vaclav Havel’s election as that country’s president. A few days before the actual anniversary, German foreign minister Haiko Maas penned a brief essay on the reasons why the Wall came down, which was striking for what Mr. Mass didn’t mention.

Hell has to be

Hell Has to Be - Community in MissionPOPE: Today we come to the final of the Four Last Things: Hell. I have written extensively on this topic over the years, largely in response to the widespread dismissal of the revealed doctrine of Hell. In contradiction to Scripture, many presume that Hell is an unlikely destination for most. Never mind that Jesus taught just the opposite. In my own small way, I have tried to keep people more rooted in the sobriety of the Gospel than in the wishful thinking of the modern age. No one warned of Hell more than did Jesus. Arguably, 21 of the 38 parables amount to warnings about Hell and the need to be ready for judgment day.

The dark beast of resentment

The Dark Beast of Resentment – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: If you want to understand 98% of the unhappiness in the world–whether it is on the stage of international politics or the stage of your kitchen or bedroom or wherever your arguments happen, continue reading...

The book I have finished is called Immortal Combat- The Way of the Christian Warrior and my thinking for this book has been much influenced by Rene Girard and the German philosopher Max Scheler. Scheler’s little book Ressentiment is stunning. He picks up on Nietzsche’s idea of ressentiment and corrects Nietzsche. Both Germans use the French word ressentiment because they didn’t have a German word for their concept.

Church troubles: What good Catholics may and may not do

Church troubles: What good Catholics may and may not do | Catholic CultureMIRUS: I always get a little tense at this time of year, so I’ll admit that up front. This commentary is not about our Fall Campaign, but this campaign—being the largest and most important one each year—always makes me tense because…well, because I don’t have perfect trust in Providence. I do not yet fully trust in God’s perfect freedom in the service of perfect love, by which He decides the things I worry about without benefit of my angst.

Pope arrives in Thailand to encourage Catholic minority

Pope arrives in Thailand to encourage Catholic minority: Pope Francis arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday to begin a tour of Thailand and Japan, beginning a mission to boost the morale of those countries’ tiny minority Catholic communities and speak about issues of concern including human trafficking and peacemaking.

He is expected to highlight his admiration in Thailand for the community’s missionary ancestors who brought the faith to this Buddhist nation centuries ago and endured bouts of persecution as recently as the 1940s.

Deep in your soul, you long for things higher, warmer, and purer

The Longing for Things Higher | Bacon From AcornsCUDDEBACK: Solzhenitsyn’s speech is uniquely gripping. When he analyzed Western society in 1978, coming as he had from communist Russia, he offered a unique angle of insight. He reflects on various aspects of the impoverished state of Western culture, and how inadequate it is to fulfill the deeper desires of the human soul—especially the souls of those who had suffered under communism.

About the upcoming (maybe) Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower outburst

About the Upcoming (maybe) Alpha Monocerotid Meteor Shower Outburst… – Watch the Skies: The media is currently broadcasting the prediction of an outburst of the alpha Monocerotid meteor shower on the night of November 21. The researchers making the prediction, Dr. Peter Jenniskens and Esko Lyytinen, have made calculations that indicate that there may be zenithal hourly rates as high as 400 to 1000 meteors per hour around 11:50 PM Eastern Standard Time (10:50 PM Central and 9:50 PM Mountain; you will note that I am not giving a Pacific time – more on that later). These are impressive numbers, generating lots of buzz in the media. I love meteor outbursts and storms, so I was initially quite excited – I mean, what’s there not to like about an impromptu display involving lots of meteors from a yet-to-be discovered comet?

After Chick-fil-A capitulation, stay tuned to see if there is a backlash...

As Chick-fil-A capitulates, should press characterize Salvation Army and FCA as anti-LGBTQ? — GetReligionROSS: The headlines came fast and furious after Chick-fil-A revealed Monday that it will capitulate to the gay-rights activists who have attacked it for years.

The Babylon Bee declared that the fast-food chain, known for its mouth-watering chicken sandwiches, had traded its adoring Christian fans for an outraged mob that won’t be appeased until its every demand is met. Which is confusing because I thought the Bee was a satire website, not real news.

But seriously, Chick-fil-A’s decision is sure to upset many of its conservative Christian supporters who have appreciated the company’s emphasis on faith and family values, including closing on Sunday to allow employees time for rest and worship.

History viewed through the lens of the Incarnation reveals God’s Providence at work in the world

Our Hidden Treasure: The Catholic Vision of History | Principles: Ask a typical university student what he considers to be the most important event in all of history. He might offer responses such as “the invention of the printing press,” or “the Industrial Revolution,” or “the civil rights movement.”

These are certainly important events, but none compares with the one event that redirected the course of human history more than any other: the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. No other event in history was so anticipated and no event has so irrevocably changed the path of the human story. In the Incarnation of the Word, God became a man in Jesus Christ. The world could never be the same again.

Hong Kong Auxiliary Bishop Msgr. Joseph Ha attempts mediation at PolyU

HONG KONG - CHINA Police take PolyU. Student: We don't want another Tiananmen: In the early hours of this morning, around 5.30 am, the Hong Kong police entered the PolyU (Polytechnic University) after a day of siege, arresting dozens of students, former students and activists of the anti-extradition movement .

A few hours earlier, a student had told the media: "We don't want to see another 8964 [June 4, 1989, the date of the Tiananmen massacre] here in Hong Kong or even at the PolyU, our second home."

Throughout the day yesterday the police had tried to enter the university occupied by about 500 people, who had also managed to block the traffic of the nearby Crossing Harbor Tunnel, the underwater tunnel that connects the Kowloon peninsula with the island of Hong Kong, one of the most important arteries in the area.

For “Blessed Fulton Sheen,” Peoria races to beatification day

Whispers in the Loggia: Fulton's Feast – For "Blessed Sheen," Peoria Races To Beatification DayPALMO: As last week in Baltimore was marked by a general mood of siege mentality among the US bishops, these last weeks of 2019 will bring a rare feel-good moment for the bench: for just the second time ever, the elevation of one of their own to the altars... and the Big One at that.

What do we mean by the Communion of Saints?

What Do We Mean by the Communion of Saints? - Community in MissionPOPE: Continuing our series on the Four Last Things, in today’s post we consider an aspect of Heaven called the Communion of Saints. I have discovered that it is frequently misunderstood. Many of you know that I write the weekly “Question and Answer” column for the Our Sunday Visitor newspaper. Every once in a while, someone poses a unique question, one that I had never thought of before. such is the case with the question below. It led me to reflect on the deeper experience of what we call the Communion of Saints in Heaven.

Vatican finance guru’s exit suggests ‘Back to the Future’ dynamic on reform

Vatican finance guru's exit suggests ‘Back to the Future’ dynamic on reformALLEN: Logically speaking, it may be contradictory to call something both mystifying and utterly predictable, and yet that seems to be a near-constant when it comes to the Vatican’s handling of sensitive or potentially embarrassing news.

The latest case in point comes with the departure Monday of René Brülhart, the Swiss lawyer who, since 2012, has led a new anti-money laundering watchdog unit created under Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.

In a statement on Monday, the Vatican said Brülhart is departing at the end of his term and that a successor has already been chosen and will take office as soon as the pope is back from his Nov. 19-26 trip to Thailand and Japan, in order to assure “continuity of institutional action.”

The Norbertine Canonesses are the fourth wonder of my world

Norbertine Canonesses: The Fourth Wonder of My World: As I grow older, I’ve become more of a grump and I know why. For the sake of simplicity, I can take all of my life experiences and put into two categories; Good and Bad. These experiences include those where I’m an active participant and others where I’m a passive observer. Now these moments invariably imprinted themselves somewhere in my brain case where they remain to this day. If my mission is to locate these memories, put them into buckets and weigh them, the Bad, obese bucket will need a truck scale. The Good bucket, cherished as it is, is practically anorexic – a jeweler’s scale will suffice.

Pope Francis and the American bishops

Pope Francis and the American Bishops | Philip Lawler | First ThingsLAWLER: During the most significant debate of last week’s meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia rose to decry any suggestion that the American bishops are at odds with Pope Francis, “because that isn’t true.” That interpretation of the relationship between the U.S. and Rome “sets up an artificial battle between the bishops’ conference of the United States and the Holy Father which isn’t true,” he said. He rejected a brother bishop’s argument, based on that interpretation, “because it isn’t true.”

“I was possessed”: How one man was freed from satanic possession

‘I Was Possessed’: How One Man Was Freed From Satanic PossessionTADIE: Michel Chiron was a simple educator in an institute for the mentally disabled in central France and led an uneventful life. In the 1980s, boredom and a love disappointment led him to participate in spiritualist séances with some colleagues.

The Catholic education he received in his childhood had been swept away by the cultural revolution of May 1968, and he proudly described himself as an atheist. However, as he started such practices in order to “have fun,” without believing in their effects, Chiron saw, with great astonishment, the pedestal table turn and the spirits communicate coherent messages through Scrabble letters.

Homeschooling gains ground in Italy

Home Schooling Gains Ground in ItalyTADIE: Home schooling is a relatively new phenomenon in Europe, compared to how widespread the educational method has become in the United States over the last 40 years. Recent estimates indicate that more than 2.3 million students are being home-schooled in the United States (against an average of 850,000 in 1999 and 1.5 million in 2007), and there are, reportedly, an estimated 48,000 students in the U.K. (against approximately 20,000 in 2009), 30,000 in France (its number has doubled over the past seven years), 4,000 in Spain (although home schooling is not yet officially legal there), and approximately 1,000 in Italy.

Chick-fil-A to stop donating to Salvation Army as LGBT pressure continues

Chick-fil-A to stop donating to Salvation Army as LGBT pressure continues | Fox Business: Fast-food favorite Chick-fil-A will no longer donate to The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, according to a Monday announcement.

"We made multi-year commitments to both organisations and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018," a spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding the company would focus its giving on "education, homelessness and hunger."

"Additionally, the Foundation will no longer make multiyear commitments and will reassess its philanthropic partnerships annually to allow maximum impact. These partners could include faith-based and non-faith-based charities," according to a web statement on Monday.

Having a friend who is poor will help you get to heaven, Pope says

Having a friend who is poor will help you get to heaven, pope says: The poor are the church's treasure because they give every Christian a chance to "speak the same language as Jesus, that of love," Pope Francis said, celebrating Mass for the World Day of the Poor.

"The poor facilitate our access to heaven," the pope said in his homily Nov. 17. "In fact, they open up the treasure that never ages, that which joins earth and heaven and for which life is truly worth living: love."

Thousands of poor people and volunteers who assist them joined Pope Francis for the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. After the liturgy and the recitation of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis hosted a luncheon for 1,500 of them while thousands more throughout the city enjoyed a festive meal at soup kitchens, parish halls and seminaries.

Pope Francis, is the Secretariat of State strengthened?

MondayVatican – Vatican Pope Francis, is the Secretariat of State strengthened? | MondayVaticanGAGLIARDUCCI: The appointment of the Jesuit Fr. Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves as Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy fills one of the most critical ‘gaps’ in the Roman Curia organizational chart.

The Prefect of the Secretariat had been, since its establishment, Cardinal George Pell. When Cardinal Pell went back to Australia to defend himself from infamous allegations of abuse, Monsignor Luigi Mistò took the interim leadership of the Secretariat. However, Cardinal Pell stayed as Prefect, although on leave of absence, until the end of his five-year mandate. Pope Francis also wanted that the announcement of the Cardinal Pell expiration from the position was not connected to the news of the guilty verdict against the Cardinal. It was a sign of trust.

New York Times blockbuster uses leaked files to expose new horrors in China’s war on Islam

New York Times blockbuster uses leaked files to expose new horrors in China's war on Islam — GetReligion: Early in my journalism career, a veteran investigative reporter gave me a piece of advice I have never forgotten: The hotter the story, the more you want a document of some kind that you can verify and then show readers. This will build trust.

You can see this principal at work in the blockbuster religion story of the weekend — that New York Times foreign desk report about ongoing and even expanding efforts to lock up and, if need be, brainwash or execute a million or more Uighur Muslims in what can only be called reeducation or concentration camps.

What is eternal life?

What is Eternal Life? - Community in MissionPOPE: I often think that we haven’t done a very good job of setting forth the doctrine of eternal life. For most people, the concept seems a rather shallow one: that we will live forever. Frankly, many may not consider it all that appealing if the place where we live forever is Heaven. Too often, Heaven is reduced to merely this: a place where I’ll be happy. I’ll have a mansion, I’ll see my mother again, and I won’t ever have to suffer. The description never gets around to mentioning God. If He is mentioned at all, He’s way down on the list somewhere rather than at the top where He belongs. This is sad, for the heart of Heaven is to be with God!

Venerable Fulton Sheen to be beatified this December in Peoria

Venerable Fulton Sheen to Be Beatified Dec. 21 in Peoria: The Diocese of Peoria announced Monday that Venerable Fulton Sheen will be beatified Dec. 21 at the city's Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

Archbishop Sheen had been ordained a priest of the diocese in that cathedral Sept. 20, 1919.

“It seems entirely fitting that the Beatification will take place at the end of this 100-year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood,” a statement from the Peoria Diocese said Nov. 18.

Fulton Sheen was born in Illinois in 1895, and was 24 when he was ordained a priest.

Abortion Is New Litmus Test for Democratic Attorneys General Group

Abortion Is New Litmus Test for Democratic Attorneys General Group - The New York Times: An association of Democratic state attorneys general will become the first national party committee to impose an explicit abortion litmus test on its candidates, announcing on Monday that it will refuse to endorse anyone who does not support reproductive rights and expanding access to abortion services.

To win financial and strategic backing from the group, candidates will be required to make a public statement declaring their support of abortion rights. The group, the Democratic Attorneys General Association, recruits candidates and helps their campaigns with financial support, data analysis, messaging and policy positions.

Pope criticizes deacons who act as “wannabe priests,” says, “Move deacons away from the altar... They are custodians of service, not first-class altar boys”

Pope to Dicastery for Laity, Family, Life: make the heart of the Church your own - Vatican News: In his reform of the Roman Curia, Pope Francis created the new Dicastery in 2016. The 13-16 November plenary assembly on the theme, “The Lay Faithful, Identity and Mission in the World,” is the first since the Dicastery was created.

Speaking to some 85 members and consultants participating in the assembly, Pope Francis indicated some basic attitudes that will inspire their work for the coming years,

Shock: Lawsuit filed over funeral homily

Shock: Lawsuit filed over funeral homily | Deacon Greg KandraKANDRA: You may remember this story from last year, about a family being upset at the homily preached at the funeral of a man who committed suicide.

Now, an update, with this press release from a law firm:

On November 14, 2019, the law firm of Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC announced that it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Linda Hullibarger against The Archdiocese of Detroit, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, and Father Don LaCuesta for injuries caused by Father LaCuesta’s conduct during the funeral services of her son Maison.

“I saw the soldiers who killed El Salvador’s priests”

'I saw the soldiers who killed El Salvador's priests' - BBC News: In November 1989 Salvadoran soldiers dragged six Jesuit priests from their beds and murdered them along with their housekeeper and her teenage daughter.

The Salvadoran government tried to blame the killings on left-wing rebels, but their version was contradicted by the evidence of one woman, Lucia Cerna, who was hiding near the site of the murders.

‘Absolutely no mercy’: Leaked files expose Communist China’s mass detention of Muslims in concentration camps

‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims - The New York Times: The students booked their tickets home at the end of the semester, hoping for a relaxing break after exams and a summer of happy reunions with family in China’s far west.

Instead, they would soon be told that their parents were gone, relatives had vanished and neighbors were missing — all of them locked up in an expanding network of detention camps built to hold Muslim ethnic minorities.

Vatican youth seminary scandal grows with new abuse claims

Vatican youth seminary scandal grows with new abuse claims: A scandal over alleged sexual molestation and abuse at the Vatican’s youth seminary is growing, with more former papal altar boys alleging inappropriate behavior by priests inside the Vatican walls.

Le Iene, an Italian investigative television program, plans to air the new allegations Sunday; the show provided the broadcast to The Associated Press ahead of time.

The Vatican announced in September that its criminal prosecutor was seeking to indict a former senior seminarian and the then-rector of the St. Pius X seminary on sexual abuse charges.

This is spiritually more beneficial than fasting, according to St. John of the Cross

This is spiritually more beneficial than fasting, according to St. John of the Cross --AleteiaKOSLOSKI: Spiritual writers have always stressed the importance of fasting, but St. John of the Cross would argue that there is one spiritual discipline that may be even more beneficial than fasting.
He writes in his Sayings of Light and Love, “Conquering the tongue is better than fasting on bread and water.” What he is referring to is the ability to use our words to build up others, rather than tear them down.

If St. John of the Cross were alive today, he might include “Conquering your digital comments …” in the mix. It requires great spiritual discipline to refrain from using the internet to take a personal jab at someone or posting a snarky comment about an individual.

The secular world has one notion of liberty, and Our Lord has another. The two cannot be reconciled...

Infant Baptism and the Logic of Liberalism | Brandon McGinley | First ThingsMCGINLEY: My family goes to a lot of baptisms these days. With several of our Catholic friends raising young children, rarely do a few months go by without fifteen minutes spent peeking over shoulders into the baptistery.

One tradition that surprised me the first time I witnessed a baptism in the Extraordinary Form is that the parents are basically spectators: It’s the godparents who hold the child and accept the Faith and its obligations on his or her behalf. The rite beautifully symbolizes how the Christian community takes responsibility for the relationship with the Lord established by the sacrament. It communicates the resolution to one of infant baptism’s apparent paradoxes: The sacrament is necessary for salvation, and yet children can neither understand nor fulfill the duties this implies on their own.

We have to be sober about the passing and perilous nature of this world

Our Journey Through a Passing World – A Homily for the 33rd Sunday of the Year - Community in MissionPOPE: During the month of November, the Church has us ponder the Four Last Things: death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. As the golden gown of autumn gives way to the lifeless look of winter, we are encouraged to see that our lives are on a trajectory that leads to autumn and then to the winter of death. But those who have faith know that this passage to death ultimately leads to glory. Scripture says, And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever(1 John 2:17).

Mister Rogers, Tom Hanks, the Good Samaritan and the ties that bind

Podcast thinking: Fred Rogers, Tom Hanks, the Good Samaritan and the ties that bind — GetReligionMATTINGLY: Anyone who wanted to know why the Rev. Fred Rogers did what he did needed to pause and think about two of the central facts in his career.

First, there was the name of the show that made him a television legend: “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Then there was the rite that opened every episode — the transition into the trademark sweater and comfy shoes — and the song that went with it. The crucial line was the thesis statement at the end: “Please, won’t you be my neighbor?”

That was a strange question to ask children. Why not ask them to be friends? Isn’t “friend” a more common word among kids than “neighbor”? In this day and age, many adults are struggling to be “neighbors,” a term with all kinds of implications linked to helping people simply because they are nearby and need help.

Is Australian public opinion shifting in Cardinal Pell’s favor?

Is Australian Public Opinion Shifting in Cardinal Pell’s Favor?PENTIN: Although a good deal of negative and angry opinion abounds, a number of commentators are beginning to voice doubts about Cardinal Pell's conviction.

One of them is Andrew Bolt, an analyst for Sky News Australia, who has been consistent in voicing skepticism over the case but on Nov. 13 made his strongest declaration to date: That the cardinal is innocent and has been jailed “for a crime [he] could not have done" (see clip below).

He also said that activists “try to punish Sky and its advertisers" whenever he points out what he called “incredible problems with this extraordinary conviction.”

‘The Irony of Modern Catholic History’ is a book too valuable to ignore

Archbishop Chaput’s Weekly Column: Irony and Catholic Memory – Archdiocese of PhiladelphiaCHAPUT: The historian Christopher Lasch (among many others) liked to note that Americans tend to be bad at history. We resent it. We want the past to be over and gone. And there’s a very good reason for that instinct. One of our key myths as a nation is that if we work hard enough we can achieve, and deserve to achieve, anything we want. That includes reimagining who we are. It’s why transgenderism – as deeply troubling as it is – gets traction in our media and elite opinion. Absent a biblical framework, it’s just one more route to the “pursuit of happiness.”

This is why the past, as it really happened, can seem so unwelcome. Put simply, it limits our self-invention. As a record of our origins, choices, and actions, the past reminds us that we’re not fully sovereign actors. We have roots and obligations that shape us, and they’re inescapable. We each have parts in a story that preceded us, formed us, and will continue after us. For the selfish, that knowledge is a kind of oppression. For the sensible, it’s a source of hope. History teaches us the cost of mistakes. Bad things can happen. But history also teaches us that most of our difficulties aren’t really new, and that good can heal and overcome them.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally created to be a Star Wars version of Gandalf

Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally created to be a Star Wars version of Gandalf - Voyage Comics & PublishingKOSLOSKI: Among the numerous influences behind George Lucas’ Star Wars saga, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was a principal driving force in the early drafts of the 1977 film.

In fact, Lucas nearly copied Tolkien’s dialogue, word-for-word, borrowing Gandalf’s greeting to Bilbo in The Hobbit.

In How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor, the third draft of the original Star Wars film had an interesting exchange between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.

Pope Francis names Archbishop Gabriele Caccia ambassador to the United Nations

Pope Francis names Archbishop Gabriele Caccia ambassador to the United Nations: Pope Francis Saturday named Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia the next Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York.

“I hope to be able to fulfill well the new task Pope Francis has entrusted to me, seeking to bring the light of Catholic social teaching to the discussions and debates of the international community,” Caccia said of his appointment Nov. 16.

Archbishop Caccia will succeed Archbishop Bernardito Auza, whom Pope Francis appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Principality of Andorra in October.

Global Neo-Paganism is a new threat, but it’s not new

Introducing the New Threat: Global Neo-Paganism – Fr. Dwight LongeneckerLONGENECKER: One of the takeaways from the Amazonian Synod was the materialization of a new religious identity in the world. When I say this is a “new religious identity” I do not mean to suggest that it is a new invention. It is, in fact, a religion that is as old and wide and powerful as the Amazon itself.

I name it “Global Neo-Paganism” and this new manifestation of the old paganism is unique in certain ways and yet as predictable as a seance. Let me explain what I mean by “Global Neo-Paganism.”

Jury rules against pro-life activist David Daleiden, awards Planned Parenthood $870,000

Jury Finds Abortion Foes Harmed Planned Parenthood, Awards $870K: A pro-life organization said that “justice was not done,” after federal court found that pro-life advocate David Daleiden’s Center for Medical Progress caused “substantial harm” to Planned Parenthood by secretly recording meetings with abortion doctors and staff to expose their business practices.

‘Frozen II’: More sister time, less memorable songs

SDG Reviews ‘Frozen II’: More Sister Time, Less Memorable SongsGREYDANUS: “Warmed-over Frozen” is how I described the first Maleficent five years ago: another revisionist take on a classic fairy tale about the relationship between an innocent princess and a rehabilitated witch-villainess ending in true love’s kiss subverted. (For the many other parallels, see my review of Maleficent.)

Now Frozen II comes out on the heels of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil — and, lo and behold, the tables have turned.

Like last month’s Maleficent sequel, Frozen II offers a complicated tale turning on political intrigue and conflict between the leaders of a European “kingdom” (really just a royal capital city) and the denizens of a nearby magical hinterland inhabited by indigenous tribal folk and magical spirits.

Berlioz’s “Te Deum” and Chateaubriand’s “Genius of Christianity”

Berlioz's "Te Deum" & Chateaubriand's "Genius of Christianity" ~ The Imaginative ConservativeSAPIO: An often overlooked aspect of Romanticism is its revival of the religious spirit. One can chide Romantic works of art for their emotionalism, yet the emphasis on the fantastic and imaginative in Romantic literature, music, and painting was in large part a protest against the dry rationalism of the Enlightenment. If 18th-century philosophes scoffed (sometimes quite ignorantly) at revealed religion, artists of the Romantic age would show a new appreciation for Christianity, religious art, and the Ages of Faith that produced it.

Do you desire Heaven? Really?

Do You Desire Heaven? Really? - Community in MissionPOPE: After some sobering reflection on death and judgment over the past several days, it’s finally time to talk about Heaven. Now that is a topic everyone wants to hear about! Yet there is a strange disconnect today. As it becomes easier and easier to satisfy our desire for instant gratification, we find it harder and harder to take the time to ponder a future paradise.

Pope considering adding “sin against ecology” to Catechism of the Catholic Church, says “culture of waste and hatred” reminds him of Nazi era

Pope considering adding 'sin against ecology' to Church's catechismSANMARTIN: Speaking to a group of lawyers on Friday, Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church is contemplating the introduction of “ecological sin” to the compendium of Church teaching.

“We have to introduce, we are thinking about it, in the catechism of the Catholic Church, the sin against ecology, the sin against our common home, because it’s a duty,” he said.

The pope’s words came just weeks after the conclusion of a bishops’ summit on the Amazon focused on the environmental threat to the region.

‘Synodality’ is a masquerade, behind which is an agenda

The 'synodality' masquerade - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: During the 2001 Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who’d suffered through a lot of synodal speechifying and small-group discussions over the years, made a trenchant observation: “Jesus Christ didn’t intend his Church to be governed by a committee.”

Indeed.

The mechanisms of consultation that exist in the Church — from parish councils through diocesan pastoral councils to the Synod of Bishops — exist to strengthen the governance of the Church by its pastors: priests in their parishes, bishops in their dioceses, the Bishop of Rome in terms of the universal Church.

Everyone you love will die. So will you. November is a time to think and pray about that...

A time to reflect on death - Denver CatholicSTAUDT: November is a month when the Church asks us to pray for the dead. After celebrating those in heaven on Nov. 1, we pray for all the faithful departed who await heaven while undergoing purgation on Nov. 2, All Souls Day. The Church encourages us to pray for the dead by granting special indulgences in November to assist the souls in purgatory. A plenary (or full) indulgence can be received November 1-8 and then a partial indulgence the rest of the month when we “devoutly visit a cemetery and at least mentally pray for the dead” or “devoutly recite lauds or vespers from the Office of the Dead or the prayer Requiem aeternam”: “Eternal rest grant unto him/her (them), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her/them. May he/she/they rest in peace. Amen.”

Dignity, defiance and mirth: A plan for dying well

Dignity, Defiance, and Mirth: A Plan for Dying WellBECKER: My wife thinks it’s morbid, but I’m planning to buy myself a pine coffin for my 60th birthday. Nothing fancy. Something fashioned by monks. I’ll set it up in the living room—lean it against the wall with the lid to one side—and I’ll invite visitors to inscribe a few words with a Sharpie (my daughter’s idea, and a good one).

It’ll be the ultimate yearbook: familiar names, anecdotal tidbits, remembrances of joyful yesterdays. Personalized tethers to my past, particularly those who were part of it, the saints and sinners and saints-in-the-making—my comrades on the reeling road to redemption. And laughs, stuff that’ll make me laugh—not when I’m stiff and occupying the box, but now.

Catholic churches burning in Chile? Apparently this is now just a ‘conservative’ news story

Catholic churches burning in Chile? Apparently this is now a 'conservative' news story — GetReligionMATTINGLY: The violence that as seized Chile is linked to complex issues of history, economics and bitter political divisions.

As you would expect, American news operations have been busy covering other stories. I get that.

Meanwhile, the role of the Catholic Church in the politics of Chile is complicated and, as you would expect, decades of arguments about clergy sexual abuse and related topics has not helped the situation. I get that, too.

But I would like to note that activists/reformers/rioters — pick your label — have started burning Catholic churches, including holy objects stripped from altars. This is the kind of smartphone-video story that tends to make news, if only because the images are so striking.

Rare photos: How America’s first saint nearly went down with the R.M.S. Titanic

Rare photos: How America’s first saint nearly went down with the R.M.S. Titanic: They would be disappointed of course. They wanted to see her one more time before she left for New York. They were also working to secure passage for her, Sister Antony, and Sister Mary aboard this grand new ship that was to depart from the port in Southampton, about a day’s ride to the south of the Convent in Honor Oak, which is near Charing Cross Station.
Perhaps it was Mother’s frail health, or perhaps it was the urgency with which she felt compelled to cut her trip to Europe short due to new challenges facing the expansion of Columbus Hospital, or perhaps, more probably, it was Divine intervention. Whatever it was, it prevented Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini from setting off on her journey to London to board the R.M.S. Titanic, and put her aboard the SS Berlin in Naples bound for New York instead. It spared her life.

In the culture of death, abortion is a sacrament

In the Culture of Death, Abortion Is a Sacrament - Crisis MagazineFITZPATRICK: The feminist writer Florynce Kennedy once said, “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.” She didn’t give the left enough credit. Abortion has become a kind of “sacrament” because women can get pregnant. Abortion has morphed from a taboo tragedy to a constitutional right: a sine qua non of the Democratic Party, who fight for it religiously. Abortion is a deathly lifeline for progressives, a central column supporting the political platform of narcissistic relativism. It is the unholy sacrament.

Liberals assign a pseudo-sacramental significance inherent in the “right” to kill an unwanted child which causes, like a sacrament, an existential attitude through its symbolic reality. A sacrament is not just a religious idea or holy practice; it is something far more than its external nature suggests. The Sacraments of the Church are institutions of Jesus Christ to give mystical gifts to those of proper disposition. They are efficacious signs of grace, which contain, cause, and confer the thing signified. The word “sacrament” might be applied analogously to those things that both characterize and cause a human condition, and abortion is a dark participant in that analogy.

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time — The end of the world is near!

The Sacred Page: The End is Near! 33rd Sunday of OTBERGSMA: Some years ago I was driving through the back hills of Ohio with my son, and we passed a billboard in a farmer’s field that read: “God has a Judgment Day coming!”

My son asked me if the farmer who had placed the billboard in his field was Catholic or Protestant. I suggested he probably was a Protestant. My son asked why Catholics didn’t put up billboards like that. I theorized that perhaps fewer Catholics owned farms close to the highway, or maybe they were less convinced that announcing the coming judgment was really an effective means of evangelism.

Billboards announcing judgment day are not a part of American Catholic culture. Nonetheless, the Readings for this coming Sunday affirm the truth of that well-meaning farmer’s sign. God does have a day of judgment coming. Is that good news or bad news? It would depend, I suppose, on whether we have suffered injustice or committed it.

How to influence the way the Lord will judge you

How to Influence the Way the Lord Will Judge Us. - Community in MissionPOPE: In the past several posts, we have been considering the judgment that awaits us. Not only must we be ready in the ways we have described, but should allow our looming judgment to help our attitude today.

Scripture says, Always speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the Law that gives freedom. For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful (James 2:12-13). Herein lies a way that we can influence the standard by which the Lord will judge us.

How the Japanese bombed Oregon and Michigan during World War II

The Japanese bombed Michigan during World War II using balloons: Nine-year-old Lawrence “Buzz” Bailey and two neighbor kids ran excitedly toward a large balloon floating to earth on farmland in North Dorr, a rural community in Allegan County south of Grand Rapids. It was Feb. 23, 1945, and they didn’t realize they were discovering the remnants of a Japanese attack on the U.S.

Bailey went on to serve in the U.S. Army in Germany in the early 1950s. "I tell the guys in the VFW post I'm a part of that I was in the Second World War at age 9," says Bailey, now 84 and living in Newaygo. "I was a balloon expert."

Jesuit martyrs, old and new — without the gospel, social reform is just politics

Jesuit Martyrs, Old and NewDESOUZA: Last week in Rome there was a full-on all-stops-pulled celebration of the Jesuits, organized by the Jesuits. Both Pope Francis and Father Arturo Sosa, the superior general, took part.

It was a clarifying moment for those who might wonder at the various curiosities offered by the Society of Jesus in these past years under the first Jesuit pope.

Consider Father Sosa himself, who apparently denies two key doctrines of the faith: the historical accuracy of the gospels and the personal existence of the devil.

Pope Francis names Spanish Jesuit head of Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy

Pope Francis Names Spanish Jesuit Head of Vatican’s Economy Secretariat: Pope Francis Nov. 14 appointed Spanish Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, following the expiration of Cardinal George Pell’s term in February.

From Merida, Spain, Father Guerrero, 60, will begin his term as prefect in January 2020.

Pope Francis established the Secretariat for Economy in 2014 as part of his financial reform of the Vatican. Its task is to oversee the financial aspects of both the Roman Curia and the Vatican City State administration, including a review of financial reports.

Chilean Churches looted amid anti-government protests

Chilean Churches Looted During Protests: Several churches across Chile have been attacked and looted amid anti-government protests in the country.

The demonstrations began in mid-October in Santiago over a now-suspended increase in subway fares. Other regions joined in the protests, expanding their grievances to inequality and the cost of health care.

Protesters broke into Santiago’s La Asuncion parish Nov. 8, hauling out pews, confessionals and statues, which they defaced, to build a barricade. They set the barricade on fire before clashing with police and sprayed anti-Catholic graffiti on the walls, pillars and altar of the church.

On Wounded Shepherds

On Wounded Shepherds | Francis X. Maier | First ThingsMAIER: Disaffected Catholics of the “conservative” tribe typically criticize the current pontificate on four fronts: for diminishing Catholic thought with an anti-intellectual bias; for undermining a healthy Christian anthropology; for feeding disunity and confusion; and for downplaying the singular nature of the Christian revelation. It also—so they argue—has played loose with the notion of truth, thereby conflating mercy with indulgence, treating mercy as a kind of new, trademarked product of this papacy, and detaching mercy from justice, a virtue tied inextricably to truth.

Why stuff your soul with gossip, nonsense and vain talk? We have to defend our “right not to know”...

Defending Your Right Not to Know | Bacon From AcornsCUDDEBACK: What often strikes me when listening to or watching news is that at root it’s an industry. Every turn of phrase, the tone, the urgency. The news outlets need us to tune in, otherwise their business fails.
It’s a very bad model, and it has significant negative consequences in our lives, as we are made to feel that we cannot get by without knowing what is ‘going on out there’—as if the news were somehow presenting what is really going on in the world. Particularly harrowing of late is the obsession with impeachment hearings, and any number of other scandals fabricated or reported to grab our attention.

San Diego Bishop McElroy wants Catholics to stop treating abortion as “preeminent” problem — but U.S. bishops (backed by words of Pope Francis) shoot him down

Analysis: US bishops at odds over abortion and 'the Francis test'CONDON: During the second day of the USCCB Fall General Assembly in Baltimore, divisions among the bishops bubbled briefly to the surface, with bishops exchanging sharp interventions on the “preeminence’ of abortion as a social concern. The exchanges highlighted simmering tensions among the bishops, which have less to do with the centrality of abortion to the Church’s political engagement, and more to do with bishops contending to appear closer to the pope than their colleagues.

Rest, reading, and remembering what a man is...

Rest, Reading, and Remembering What a Man IsCRAIG: It is said the most valuable and hoarded treasure of the modern world is information. Most of this seems to be in the form of what we call “data,” but there’s also the ambiguous word of “content” that fills our screens and servers. But, paradoxically, it seems our oceans of information have made us shallower in thinking. We are storing facts, but not absorbing truth. For the Christian this is not an option. Life cannot be reduced to facts but must mature into the love of wisdom. Wisdom is hard won, but only fools despise it (Prov. 1:7). We understand the intellect as a gift from God, and He expects us to use this gift. Certainly, the mind is more than a tool to decipher data in order to dominate the world and decide on investments.

Dominicans order up preaching for the digital age

Dominicans Order Up Preaching for the Digital Age: St. Dominic preached the Catholic faith in the squares and taverns of France where people congregated, and 800 years later, his Order of Preachers is now taking that Dominican tradition into the digital sphere.

The Western Province of Dominicans, Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, have now upped their digital preaching game by rolling out a new OPWest App, available on Android and Apple devices, in order to correct misinformation and confusion about the Catholic faith and bring people to know and love Jesus Christ. The app rolled out on Nov. 7.

“We Dominicans, charged with preaching the Gospel, must preach the Gospel where people are and bring the Gospel to the public forum,” said Dominican Father Brad Elliot. “This new app is a way for us Dominicans in the Western United States to respond to the real needs of the people to whom we minister.”

If I touched the Moon, what would it feel like?

If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like? - The New York Times: Twelve people have walked on the moon since humans landed there 50 years ago, but no one has ever directly touched its surface.

Those astronauts wore spacesuits outside the lander. No one ever took off a glove or a boot while standing on the moon.


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“Once we got inside and took off our suits and gloves, we did have some lunar dust on the floor, and rocks that were not bagged,” Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke, who walked on the moon in 1972, called to tell me. “On the way home, I collected the rocks floating around the spacecraft. One would come floating by, and I just picked it up and put it in my garment pocket. When I got back, I stuck them in a little jar that was about the size of a prescription bottle, and then I turned them back in to NASA.”

You are going to die and you don’t get to say when...

Preparing for Judgment - Community in MissionPOPE: This should inspire a sober, urgent, and daily preparation for death and judgment. Yet too many people today are not serious about their spiritual walk. They’re running around as if life is just some big game. They’re not thinking about appearing before the judgment seat. They’re not praying. They’re not reading Scripture. They’re not growing in their faith. They’re are not going to Mass on Sundays. Many of them are stubbornly locked in very serious and unrepentant mortal sin. They are not going to be ready. To them, the message must be turn to Jesus. Repent. Give Him your life.